The advantages of re-designing your office layout. Can your company afford not to?

Research and case studies have proven that investing in the design of your office layout, boosts employee engagement levels. It can be used as a business tool to bring organisational change, improve employee retention and attract new talent. All of which are linked to increasing productivity, improving efficiencies and increased profits.

The correlation between space and operating costs should be well-considered in the financial objectives of the company. If you think the cost of moving is too prohibitive the business case may prove otherwise. Better utilisation of your existing space may be the more cost-effective solution.

The fact is, not knowing how much space your company needs now and to support future growth within your business, may cost you more than you realise.

So what steps do you need to take to help make this decision – here’s our top five….

Improved operational efficiencies

Looking at your current office layout, how is the space utilised? Often more space can be created by making simple changes to the way you utilise your existing office space. You can more often than not stay in your current location, create more space, utilise the space more efficiently and effectively, and improve your operating efficiencies.

By combining a detailed space utilisation audit with a deeper understanding of your leadership team’s aspirations for the organisation and whilst engaging employees to understand how they would like to work, we are able to make recommendations for how you can transform your physical office environment and working practices to achieve substantial operational efficiencies.

Enhanced working practices

With a new office layout and design often comes an opportunity to take a fresh look at your working practices. Taking a step back and looking at how your business operates will enable you to improve how your organisation works and introduce new ways of working that will have a positive effect on employee satisfaction, performance and engagement.

You may wish to consider introducing smart or activity-based working, you may look at streamlining processes, and simplifying communication channels. The changes to the physical working environment will help to enhance working practices and facilitate improved communications and collaboration.

Improved employee productivity and collaboration

Changing your tired and inefficient office layout and injecting some life into your office design will result in a more productive and collaborative workforce. As designers, we see it every time that we strip away the uninformed, open plan, desk-based layout and design and implement a design that encourages an enriched employee experience within the workplace.

By combining a deep understanding of your company’s DNA and organisational culture with an appreciation for the aspirations for your business, you can create an office space that encourages improved communication and more efficient ways of working for your team.

Improved employee satisfaction and performance

A fresh, new office layout can change your disengaged workforce to a workforce that enjoys coming to work and is incentivised to deliver more. Improved employee satisfaction is directly linked to a well-designed office.

Creating an office space that not only aids your employees with fulfilling their everyday tasks but that inspires them and helps them connect with the organisation’s culture and with each other, will improve their attitudes towards coming to work every day. Your employees will feel more engaged and loyalty towards your company, brand and vision for the future. They will become more motivated and productive, which in turn will boost their performance.

Ultimately, you will benefit from improved employee satisfaction, see a reduction in employee absenteeism, improvements in employee retention and your new office design will be an important factor when it comes to attracting new employees to work for your organisation.

Genuine cost savings realised

Investing in an office re-design can often be a costly venture, albeit often less costly than moving to new offices. We always encourage our clients to not see it as a cost to the business but as an investment in the future of the business.

It sometimes comes as a surprise when space utilisation audits highlight where office space can be released to reduce overheads or how space can be better utilised in order to grow an organisation without the need to move to larger premises.

As we’ve alluded to already, streamlining business processes and implementing new working practices will also bring operational efficiencies and therefore cost savings.

Finally, this is an ideal opportunity to introduce sustainable, environmentally friendly policies that will also improve cost savings throughout your organisation.

There are many advantages to re-designing your office rather than moving premises; you will see genuine cost savings, enriched workforce collaboration, enhanced working practices and improved operational efficiencies. If you’re weighing up the advantages of re-designing your office layout versus moving premises, give us a call, we’d be happy to discuss both with you in detail in order to ensure you make the right decision that will deliver the best return on investment.

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The start of our journey together. Communication and collaboration are second nature to us, and important aspects when it comes to workplace design. Contact us today to discuss how CMI Workplace can help with your office design project.

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